ESSAY EXPECTATIONS

 

Your essay will be graded by the following general criteria:

Your paper should clearly focus on the specific topic from the NOTES for the play you have selected to write about.

Your paper should reveal a careful and thoughful viewing of the play.

Your paper should focus on analysis, not a re-telling of the plot.

Your paper should show some originality.

 

An A Paper represents SUPERIOR achievement.

An A paper demonstrates much more than that a play has been viewed and understood on a basic level. Rather, such a paper reveals creativity with respect to content and eloquence with respect to expression. The A paper is bold and energetic. It has content that is unique and interesting. The paper reveals that the writer has taken risks and that new ideas are carefully supported by a variety of evidence: direct reference to the video, incorporation of other students' comments and ideas, personal experience, etc. The A paper never simply re-tells the plot or re-explains the teacher's comments.

The content of an A paper is carefully organized usually along several rhetorical lines simultaneously. The author is in control of each paragraph. Some parpagraphs gather evidence or explain the evidence or do both at once. Some paragraphs organize and divide material while others efffectively link one idea to another. And within paragraphs each sentence is carefuly constructed with respect to length, rhythm, vocabulary and parallelism.

The introductions in A papers quickly involve the reader and invite further reading. At some point in the paper the author's ultimate intention -- thesis -- is made clear. The A paper has much to convey and usually has several themes which direct and control the development of the essay.

A papers conclude forcefully. There is closure, but even at the end, the author still manages to suggest further possibilities through an eloquent, informed opinion. An A paper reflects the writer's awareness of the relationship between voice, audience and purpose. The reader clearly knows the writer has succeeded in creating something fresh, personal and provocative.

A papers rarely contain errors in punctuation and/or spelling.

 


The B Paper represents ABOVE AVERAGE achievement.

A B paper demonstrates clearly that the writer has comprehended and internalized the instructional content (video) and text material. While the B paper is occasionally creative -- offering new insights, provoking thought --- by and large it shows control, competence and understanding of both the subject-matter and the process of writing.

The B paper is well-written, but not eloquent. Its content is clearly organized paragraph by paragraph, and its supporting evidence is carefully gathered and persuasively presented. From the beginning the reader grasps the author's itention (thesis);
it is obvious the author has something to say and knows how to go about saying it.

Both sentence structure and diction show variety. Long sentences vie with short ones and an effective use of subordination clearly relates the relative importance of one idea to another. The vocabulary of a B paper reveals an author who is fluent and reasonably well-read.

B papers unfortunately still have a few punctuation and/or spelling errors.



The C paper epresents AVERAGE achievement.

A C paper demonstrates that instructional content (video play and text material) has been comprehended at a basic level. The C paper, however, is rarely creative or original. The C paper often relies more on re-telling than perceptive analysis. The author of a C paper is usually unwilling to take risks and there is often hesitancy and uncertainty becuase the writer has not clearly formlated a thesis with confidence or has not devoted enough time to the task. Often the author never does quite figure out precisely what he or she wishes to comunicate.

The organization of the content of C papers is often flawed. The reader has difficulty figuring out where the writer is going or what has been covered up to a certain point. Changes in topics are often poorly prepared for or too much material is lumped together and improperly sorted. Important ideas are sometimes poorly supported. C paper paragraphs often have problems with focus and point-of-view and suffer from poor transitions from point to point. Sometimes the organizational pattern is formulaic as in the five paragraph essay. In short, in a C paper the author is never in complete control of the content. The material seems to be leading the author instead of vice-versa.

Unfortunately C papers often show a great deal of effort, but to no avail. But just as often procrastination is evident, and usually such papers suffer from a lack of inspiration. The C paper infers a how-soon-can-I-get-this-assignment-done attitude rather than a what's-the-best-I-can-do-here approach.

C papers usually have several serious punctuation and/or spelling errors.

The C paper does communicate, but the writer does not exhibit firm control over the clear and effective expression of ideas.


The D paper represents BELOW AVERAGE achievement.

The D paper represents that instructional material and text content has not been adequately understood.

The D paper is very poorly written with respect to organization of content, paragraphing, sentence structure, diction, support and the development of ideas.

D papers usually have many serious punctuation and/or spelling errors.

 

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